Apprenticeships are becoming an increasingly popular choice for people looking to begin or advance their careers. In 2018/19, there were 742,400 people participating in an apprenticeship in England, and while they are widely promoted one perspective you may not have heard is what it’s like working as an apprentice in a National Park. My name is Lily Mulvey, and I’m the Historic Environment Apprentice at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

The National Park

My role can involve all kinds of tasks, including working with GIS, updating the HER, research, writing blogs and monitoring social media, helping to organise community events and more. I also spend a lot of time shadowing colleagues or my line manager at site visits or meetings. Being able to go out on site visits in such a beautiful part of the country is a major perk of the job – and although the weather isn’t always great we do get provided with excellent PPE (waterproofs and walking boots).

The YDNPA is an enthusiastic supporter of apprenticeships and aims to provide at least 20 apprenticeships that focus on the skills that are essential to maintaining the National Park’s special qualities by 2023. There are currently 8 apprentices (plus two vacancies) at the Authority, each lasting about 18-24 months.

As a result there are a number of young people working for the Authority. This led to the creation of Youth Forum (organised by Katy Foxford, Tourism Support Officer), which provides an opportunity for young people (including apprentices) who work for the Authority to go on activity days across the Park. In November it was arranged for us to do some tree planting and attend a forest school (which involved foraging and cooking over a campfire).

The Apprenticeship

As a Level 4 NVQ (equivalent to a foundation degree), the course should take 2 years to complete. Since it’s the first time the course has been run we are asked for a lot of feedback and ideas, so the course is continually being shaped and improved. It involves a mixture of residential training weeks across the country (hosted at the Historic England offices or Strode College campus), online learning and coursework. Topics include everything from history to professional skills, from architecture to designed landscapes. It’s definitely a lot to learn in a short space of time, but we’re given a lot of support and have had some really excellent lecturers.

Most of the apprentices are Historic England employees, but two of us are from outside the organisation (the other being from Lincolnshire County Council). Although our group is a mixture of ages, backgrounds/experience from across the country, we all get along very well. We go out for dinner/drinks in the evenings and have gotten overly competitive in games of Pass the Pigs more than once. Our diverse backgrounds are an advantage when it comes to sharing skills, experience and knowledge, and I’m sure I have learned almost as much from them as I have from the course material.

It’s safe to say this continues to be an overwhelmingly positive experience, and I’m very glad I did it. I would wholeheartedly recommend doing an apprenticeship to anyone, whether looking to get started or looking to learn new skills.